Pacific media chiefs push for single regional market vision

Pacific broadcasters are grappling with escalating costs for sports and entertainment rights, pushing industry leaders to declare regional partnerships as vital for survival. The issue was a central theme at the Pacific Media Partnership Conference 2026 in Port Moresby.

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Pacific broadcasters should begin viewing the region as a single market rather than a collection of small individual markets.

FBC TV General Manager Sitiveni Halofaki highlighted the financial strain, explaining that acquiring rights is becoming increasingly difficult for broadcasters to sustain. He noted that while FBC often negotiates content for the wider Pacific, recouping investments across diverse markets remains a significant challenge. Halofaki stressed the need for careful investment decisions, ensuring a clear path to cost recovery and revenue generation.

Halofaki also pointed to the high cost of content distribution, though he acknowledged that internet-based technologies are helping to reduce these expenses. To address these challenges, FBC has been discussing content-sharing and joint sports rights acquisitions with other Pacific broadcasters. He believes stronger cooperation will enable better resource utilization and ensure audiences continue to access major events and programs.

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Stronger cooperation would allow broadcasters to make better use of limited resources while ensuring audiences continue to have access to major events and programmes.

Both Halofaki and Fiji TV Chief Executive Officer Sunjeewa Perera agreed that Pacific broadcasters should view the region as a single market, not a collection of smaller ones. This unified approach, they suggested, could unlock greater opportunities and enhance their ability to compete with global streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. Perera added that sponsors are now more dispersed, and audience interests vary, making content rights investments particularly complex to justify when certain events only appeal to specific markets.

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Deeper regional cooperation, shared content and joint rights purchases could help strengthen the sustainability of Pacific media organisations in an increasingly competitive media environment.